Affordable housing goes to court

Pioneer Press Tue, 25 Mar 2008 23:25:56 -0600
Residents of Inver Grove Heights mobile home park sue owner over rents

Residents of the Skyline Village Mobile Home Community in Inver Grove Heights have sued the park's owner for raising the rent to "unreasonable" levels while failing to respond to maintenance requests. Homeowners faced a $25 per month increase this month, with rents spiking more than 23 percent in the past four years, according to the lawsuit filed last month in Dakota County District Court. The lawsuit also alleges that Capital First Realty, the Chicago-based owner, violated state law by failing to properly manage the park's home relocation trust fund, which is set aside to help homeowners relocate should the park be sold. Capital First did not return phone calls seeking comment. Residents say they are incensed that the latest rent increase comes after they've spent months dealing with overgrown trees, standing water and pitted roads. "We want to get our money's worth," said Jim Huffman, president of the park's nonprofit residents association, which filed the lawsuit. "I don't think that's asking for something unreasonable." He said that many of the park's residents live on fixed incomes and that the continuous rent increases make the housing less affordable.

[[keywords: Housing;Metro;]]